Acquiring, Adapting and Developing Technologies

Technological progress is a precondition for economic growth, and whether a nation can keep pace depends on how well its society learns to take in, adjust, and build upon new technologies. This study traces that process through Japan's economic history, beginning with the Meiji Restoration and extending to the modern era. It examines the efforts Japan made to cultivate the broad societal abilities that technological change demands, and it grounds its findings in both theoretical reasoning and empirical evidence.

The chapters move from one major Japanese industry to another, each exploring how that sector grappled with acquiring and mastering foreign and domestic technology. Every case study was written by a scholar recognized for expertise in that area. The material will engage specialists in development economics, yet the authors present it in a manner that general readers can follow.

The closing chapter distills practical lessons drawn from the Japanese experience. These lessons are relevant to nations at any point along the path toward industrialization.